Sam Adams's Cork-Top Infinium Aims to Add Prestige to Beer

Sam Adams Hopes to Add Prestige With Champagne-style Beer

This holiday, could you be raising a glass of beer instead of bubbly? That's what Samuel Adams is hoping with the launch of a new, different brew called Infinium, coming out this month.

Just like Champagne, Infinium will retail in 750-ml bottles, at a price of $19.99, and have foil-covered cork tops, as much alcohol content as some wines, and a finish that's crisp and dry like a brut sparkling wine.

For now, Samuel Adams is only releasing 15,000 cases in North America, but founder Jim Koch hopes to send a strong message. "Beer has all the same dignity and nobility that wine has, it just hasn't been accorded the same level of respect — frankly, because brewers haven't treated it respectfully," he said. "Beer has been marketed with a lot of sophomoric humor and scantily clad women."

It'll be interesting to see how Infinium — the first beer release in a collaboration between Samuel Adams and Germany's Weihenstephan Brewery — will fare.

Could any amount of repackaging and strategic marketing affect your perception of beer?

Should be a decent beer. Weihenstephaner is one of the oldest breweries in Germany and make several excellent beers.
Craft beer has been gaining in popularity for the last five years. If your perception of beer is that it's only BMC (Bud / Miller / Coors), please keep an open mind for brewers who are real artisans.